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Put ball in play?


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6 minutes ago, FleasOf1000Camels said:

Here's what puzzles me.

Every response to this post so far is in agreement that we need to announce ball back in play after every dead ball.  I agree 100%

WHY then, do I see it go UNDONE soooooooo many times, even WITH runners on base?

 

Because the people that hang out here aren't generally the ones you need to worry about :)

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R1 outs don't matter. Long fly ball down the right field line. Took off my mask, lined up to see the catch/no catch fair/foul. No catch. "Foul ball!"

Ball comes back into F1. I am heading back to my spot behind the catcher, R1 takes off for 2nd base.

Coaches yell, "He's going!" Mayhem ensues. I yell "I have a foul ball! The ball is not live! You, back to 1st!"

Kid trots back. "Play!"

This is one reason why you do it every time. 

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Worked bases on a varsity HS game last week with a guy who NEVER announced ball back in play, other that the first pitch of the game.  Had never met him before, not a member of the same local.  After top of 1st, I went to him and asked if he'd please remember to do it "just to help ME out."  The look on his face was like I'd just pissed in his oatmeal.  He did it MOST of the time after that, but always with a little smirk in my direction like "are you happy now?". 

Later he took a direct shot to the inner thigh. 

Karma can be a bitch.

 

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My daughter plays JV softball and I went to watch her first game. PU would call "Time!" after the ball returned to the circle on every play. (That was my first problem with this guy)

Then he never once...ever...at all....put the ball back in play. No point. No "Play". nothing. (This was my second problem with the guy)

I had other problems, but they had nothing to do with putting the ball in play.

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My daughter plays JV softball and I went to watch her first game. PU would call "Time!" after the ball returned to the circle on every play. (That was my first problem with this guy)

Then he never once...ever...at all....put the ball back in play. No point. No "Play". nothing. (This was my second problem with the guy)

I had other problems, but they had nothing to do with putting the ball in play.

Is the 'Play' mechanic all the same in softball even without runners able to steal prior to the pitch anyway?

I know in baseball we need to put the ball back in play consistently because runners can advance at any time while the ball is live. Not just on pitches or batted balls.

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The runners are in jeopardy of being called out if they leave the base prior to release of the pitch. If the ball is not in play, then there can be no violation. If the ball is back in play, as a BU, I need to know when it is back in play. It isn't back in play when the pitcher releases the ball, it needs to be prior to that point. The PU needs to signal that somehow so everyone knows.

And then there is the look back rule that comes into play when the ball is controlled in the circle at the end of a play. If the umpire calls Time, then this situation can never happen. Offense is potentially hindered from extra bases, and defense is potentially hindered from extra outs.

IMO, if you are going to call time after every play (no need to do this unless there is an actual reason for a dead ball), you need to put the ball back in play as well.

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The runners are in jeopardy of being called out if they leave the base prior to release of the pitch. If the ball is not in play, then there can be no violation. If the ball is back in play, as a BU, I need to know when it is back in play. It isn't back in play when the pitcher releases the ball, it needs to be prior to that point. The PU needs to signal that somehow so everyone knows.

And then there is the look back rule that comes into play when the ball is controlled in the circle at the end of a play. If the umpire calls Time, then this situation can never happen. Offense is potentially hindered from extra bases, and defense is potentially hindered from extra outs.

IMO, if you are going to call time after every play (no need to do this unless there is an actual reason for a dead ball), you need to put the ball back in play as well.

I don't do softball, that's why I asked. It seemed to be a basic assumption that if the pitcher addresses the rubber and begins any pitching motion that the ba has been put back in play by fact alone (if you say the runner can't be out for leaving early, then you can't have a pitch either which is asinine).

I don't know of the look back rule so that is a new concept that I did not know needed consideration (still don't know what it is).

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The runner can and will be out for leaving early. Which is why the ball has to be put in play. 

The look back rule is complicated and many coaches do not get it. Basically, it forces the offense to complete their running when the ball is in control (in the hand or glove of the pitcher) and both feet are within the pitching circle. The runner(s) may continue to the next base or stop and return to the last base, but they must do so without hesitation. Then comes the technical hard part, unless the offense attempts a play (and a fake throw is judged as an attempted play). If there is a play attempted, the look back rule is now not in effect and runners are not limited by the rule, until the conditions are met again. 

By calling "Time!" after every play, PU never had to worry about this rule, because the ball was dead. Runners had to return and defense never had the opportunity of catching someone heading back to base slowly.

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The runner can and will be out for leaving early. Which is why the ball has to be put in play. 

The look back rule is complicated and many coaches do not get it. Basically, it forces the offense to complete their running when the ball is in control (in the hand or glove of the pitcher) and both feet are within the pitching circle. The runner(s) may continue to the next base or stop and return to the last base, but they must do so without hesitation. Then comes the technical hard part, unless the offense attempts a play (and a fake throw is judged as an attempted play). If there is a play attempted, the look back rule is now not in effect and runners are not limited by the rule, until the conditions are met again. 

By calling "Time!" after every play, PU never had to worry about this rule, because the ball was dead. Runners had to return and defense never had the opportunity of catching someone heading back to base slowly.

I think you missed my point...

Also very glad I don't have to say "Play ball" every time I put the ball in play...

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On 4/19/2016 at 10:16 AM, FleasOf1000Camels said:

Worked bases on a varsity HS game last week with a guy who NEVER announced ball back in play, other that the first pitch of the game.  Had never met him before, not a member of the same local.  After top of 1st, I went to him and asked if he'd please remember to do it "just to help ME out."  The look on his face was like I'd just pissed in his oatmeal.  He did it MOST of the time after that, but always with a little smirk in my direction like "are you happy now?". 

Later he took a direct shot to the inner thigh. 

Karma can be a bitch.

 

Where's his oatmeal?  I'll piss in it if he isn't putting the ball back in play.

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On 4/19/2016 at 11:20 AM, ALStripes17 said:

I don't do softball, that's why I asked. It seemed to be a basic assumption that if the pitcher addresses the rubber and begins any pitching motion that the ba has been put back in play by fact alone (if you say the runner can't be out for leaving early, then you can't have a pitch either which is asinine).

I don't know of the look back rule so that is a new concept that I did not know needed consideration (still don't know what it is).

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Look back is a pain in the butt because the players and coaches, and quite a few umpires don't understand.  For baseball, that is fine.  Not so much if you are calling softball.

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I worked with a guy the other day (Varsity) that put the ball in play when he needed to, but he was putting it back in play before the pitcher was on the mound and the batter and catcher were ready. Pitcher would be on the mound, but not on the rubber, or the batter would not be in the box. This was a very senior partner.

Bottom line - make sure you put the ball in play the proper way and at the proper time.

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30 minutes ago, maineump said:

I worked with a guy the other day (Varsity) that put the ball in play when he needed to, but he was putting it back in play before the pitcher was on the mound and the batter and catcher were ready. Pitcher would be on the mound, but not on the rubber, or the batter would not be in the box. This was a very senior partner.

Bottom line - make sure you put the ball in play the proper way and at the proper time.

I think that's being pretty picky.  I can come up with a reason or two (maybe) where it would a good reason to wait, and it's a good habit for younger umpires to get into, but most (more than 99%) of the time, it makes no difference that all the specific "requirements" are met.

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On ‎4‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 10:23 AM, dookiexman said:

My daughter plays JV softball and I went to watch her first game. PU would call "Time!" after the ball returned to the circle on every play. (That was my first problem with this guy)

Then he never once...ever...at all....put the ball back in play. No point. No "Play". nothing. (This was my second problem with the guy)

I had other problems, but they had nothing to do with putting the ball in play.

Calling "time" after each play in fastpitch is bad. Must have been a slow pitch guy...

My training in fastpitch has told me to NOT put the ball back into play every time it becomes dead. They tell us to put it in play at the beginning of each half-inning, but not during the inning. Maybe that was a preference of the individual instructor and not something from their umpire manual? It seems counter-intuitive to me and was a hard habit to break, coming from a baseball background.

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